Nigeria’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Femi Fani-Kayode, has turned down an interview request from the South African Broadcasting Corporation following a dispute over the omission of his speech from a livestream of a diplomatic ceremony.
The controversy arose after Fani-Kayode accused the South African Presidency of deliberately leaving out his introduction and address during Friday’s presentation of letters of credence to President Cyril Ramaphosa in Pretoria.
In a statement on Sunday, the SABC said it regretted the Nigerian envoy’s decision to decline the interview but remained willing to engage with him and the Nigerian High Commission.
“We regret that the High Commissioner declined an interview with SABC News, reportedly because of his dissatisfaction with the livestream of the ceremony. We respect his decision and remain open to engaging with him and the Nigerian High Commission,” the broadcaster stated.
However, the SABC did not directly address the allegation that Nigeria’s segment was excluded from the livestream.
The broadcaster also clarified its institutional status, rejecting the description of it as a state-owned media organisation and describing itself as an independent public service broadcaster.
It said, “The SABC is a public service media, not a state broadcaster. Our mandate is to serve the public interest through independent, impartial and credible journalism. The Presidency’s livestream arrangements and SABC News’ editorial coverage are separate matters.”
The broadcaster maintained that it covered the diplomatic event through its television and digital platforms.
According to the SABC, the ceremony was aired on its SABC News LIVE channel on SABC+, while Fani-Kayode’s arrival was featured during a live broadcast on its DStv Channel 404.
It added that a video showing the Nigerian envoy speaking with Ramaphosa was also published on its official X account.
The disagreement followed Fani-Kayode’s claim that the speeches and introductions of 14 other ambassadors were transmitted during the ceremony, while Nigeria’s presentation was left out until after he had finished speaking.
The event, held at the Sefako Makgatho Presidential Guest House in Pretoria, involved 15 ambassadors presenting their letters of credence to the South African President.
The envoy had also disclosed that he rejected an interview invitation from SABC News at the venue because of his dissatisfaction with what he described as the unfair treatment of Nigeria’s delegation.
Although the Nigerian delegation raised concerns over the omission, the South African Presidency subsequently published the complete recording of the ceremony, including Fani-Kayode’s speech, on its YouTube channel.
The incident also triggered an exchange between the Nigerian High Commission and Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya.
Magwenya disputed the Nigerian envoy’s account of the President’s intervention, explaining that Ramaphosa had not interfered with the broadcaster’s editorial decisions but had directed Fani-Kayode to the appropriate SABC official to lodge his complaint.
The Nigerian High Commission, however, maintained that the country and its representative had been treated with contempt, insisting that Ramaphosa had intervened in the matter.
The diplomatic disagreement comes against the backdrop of renewed tensions over xenophobic attacks on Nigerians and other African nationals in South Africa.
Nigeria has repeatedly expressed concern about the safety of its citizens in the country amid reports of killings, harassment and violence against foreign nationals.
In September, the National Assembly suspended official visits to South Africa over anti-migrant violence, while Nigerian authorities disclosed that 98 citizens had died in mob-related or hate-related incidents in the country since 2022.
